African Braid Store Cannot Open Due to South Fulton Zone

This Black South Fulton business owner is speaking out against a city ordinance she says is costing her 1000’s of dollars!

What was supposed to be a joyous occasion for small business owner Awa Diagne become a nightmare when she said she was told she would not have the opportunity to open her braid business due to an Atlanta law that prohibits similar businesses from opening inside a one-mile radius of one another.

The South Fulton Zoning Code has an analogous purpose stopped Diagne’s plans to open an African braid shop in a strip mall on Campbellton Fairburn Road. According to her, there aren’t any other African braid shops inside a 15-minute radius of where she wanted to open her business.

“I would like everyone to know that I am not here to compete with anyone. I am just here to survive,” Diagne said in an interview for

The small business owner also claims that the South Fulton Business Licensing Department and the owner informed her of zoning regulations that prevented her from opening the doors to her store. The lot is currently occupied by a beauty supply store, a hair salon and a barber shop, which can explain why the town is enforcing similar-use zoning regulations for Diagne and her braiding shop, since the entire businesses are similar.

Diagne’s company relies in an Atlanta district overseen by Councilwoman Helen Willis, who says the zoning rules are intended to “diversify the pool of businesses in the city” and never “deter small business owners.”

“We want an environment where we can have economic equity and a diverse retail experience,” Willis said. At this point, South Fulton advises all business owners to check with the town’s economic development department to prevent future issues when it comes to finding locations that fall inside the zoning code ordinance for an analogous use.